Man breaks into house to steal from his kids, police say

An Allentown man broke into the city home of his former girlfriend and his children Wednesday afternoon and stole two video game systems, a camera and a drill, police said.

Nicholas Rodriguez, 30, also had eight small packets of heroin on him when he was arrested, according to the police arrest affidavit.

Rodriguez was arraigned Wednesday night by District Judge Karen Devine on charges of burglary, theft, criminal mischief and drug possession, and sent to Lehigh County Prison under $25,000 bail.

Rodriguez, of the 400 block of Allen Street, entered the home of Amerilis Melendez in the 500 block of North Fourth Street about 3 p.m. and started gathering items in a bag, Allentown police said.

Melendez and the children were not home at the time of the break-in, but two daughters found a window open and their father in the house when they got home from school, police said.

Rodriguez' 15-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, phoned 911 and then tried to stop him from leaving the house, but he pushed past her and ran across Fourth Street, according to the affidavit.

When police arrived, the girls were on the front porch crying. They told police that Rodriguez had stolen their Xbox, a second game system and other items from the house, the affidavit says.

Melendez came home from work and told police that Rodriguez had not lived with her and their children for more than a year, the affidavit says. She said the camera he stole belongs to his son, according to the affidavit.